Drive mechanism



L- P. MILLARD DRIVE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 8, 1950 "ll' h.

June 17, 1952 Patented June 17, 1952 UNITED STATS OFFICE DRIVE MECHANISM Lee P. Millard, Chicago, 111., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey This invention relates to a new and improved drive mechanism.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a drive mechanism for receiving variable speed drive and converting it to a constant speed drive.

An important object of this invention is the provision of governor means in a variable speed pulley drive wherein the governor is associated with the output of the drive mechanism and acts to directly shift the pulley spacings to maintain a constant output drive regardless of the variable speed drive input.

Another important object of this invention is to supply a drive mechanism for agricultural implements such as harvester threshers in which it is desirable to operate the threshing means at a constant and uniform speed for most efficient threshing in spite of variations in the power input delivered to the harvester thresher.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a cooperative V-belt pulley drive mechanism wherein means is provided for shifting the relative spacings of the V-belt pulleys in response to the output drive, whereupon. the output drive remains constant although the input drive may vary through a relatively wide range of speeds.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and accompanying drawing wherein:

The single figure is a top plan view of the drive mechanism of this invention with parts thereof broken away and other parts in section.

As shown in the drawing:

The reference numeral I indicates gen era lly a supporting housing of a harvester thresher or the like for carrying a variable speed pulley drive mechanism comparable to that shown inthe copending application on Variable Speed Pulley and V-belt Transmission, Serial No. 135,557, filed December 29, 1949. The present application has a common assignee with that of the copending aplication just mentioned.

As a general rule, harvester threshers, or combines as they are commonly known, are pulled by draft means such as tractors, and in smaller machines the power for driving the threshing mechanisms is taken from power take-oil means on the pulling tractor. One of the principal reasons for the device of this invention is to eliminate changes in cylinder drive upon change in forward speed of the pulling tractor. This, device compensates for such changes in tractor speeds and insures a substantially constant speed for the threshing cylinder for most effective grain threshing. As stated in the objects above, it is the primary function of this drive mechanism to eliminate fluctuations in the finally delivered drive to the threshing mechanisms and particularly the threshing cylinder whether that drive is obtained through power take-off shafts or from separate engine means.

The tractor power take-off drive is delivered to a universal joint ll having one knuckle l2 forming a part of the drive shaft, not shown, and a complementary knuckle [3 directly fastened to and driving a V-belt pulley It. The pulley M is journally mounted on a shaft which in turn is carried in the supporting structure iii. A pedestal support member I6 is mounted on the side of the supporting member I!) by means of bolts or the like H. The shaft I5 is journalled within this pedestal member l6 having a ball bearing i8 positioned intermediate the shaft and the member IS. A grease retainer I9 is positioned over the ball bearing I8 and is held in position by means of a cap 20 for the member iii. The cap 20 is held in fixed position on the pedestal It by means of bolts 2|.

The pulley i4 comprises two halves 22 and 23. The pulley half 22 remains fixed in its longitudinal position with respect to the shaft l5 and the pulley half 23 is axially slidable over and along the shaft IE to provide for arious spacings between the pulley halves 22 and 23. The pulley half 22 is fastened to the shaft [5 by means of a key 22 and thus as the shaft I5 is rotatably driven the pulley half 22 is similarly rotatably driven. A sleeve 25 is positioned over the shaft is and is provided with spline teeth 26 around the circumference thereof. The pulley half 22 is provided with a collar 27 riveted or bolted thereto as shown at 28 which in turn is welded or otherwise fastened to the sleeve 25 as shown at 29. It will thus be evident that as the shaft i5 and the pulley half 22 rotate the sleeve 25 and its integral splines 26 will also be rotated. The pulley half 23 is provided with a sleeve-like hub 39 having an outwardly extending annular flange 3! which is riveted to the pulley half 23 at 32. A longitudinally extending annular flange 33 of the pulley half 23 is concentric with the internally positioned sleeve member 39. A ball bearing as has its outer race 35 press fitted within the flange 33', and the inner race 36 provides a surface for engagement by a shifting fork 31. The internal surface of the sleeve 30 is splined as shown at 38 for cooperation with the external splines 26 of the sleeve 25. The pulley half 23 is thus permitted axial movement along the shaft i by reason of the splines 26 and 38, and by reason of these same splines, rotatable drive between the sleeve 26 and the pulley half 23 is accomplished.

The shifting fork 3'! is pivoted at 39 on an arm 49 extending outwardly from the pedestal I6. A lateral and angular extension 4! of the shifting fork 31 is adapted to receive for attachment one end of an interconnecting link member 42 as shown at 43. The other end of the link 42 is pivotally fastened at 44 to a bell-crank lever 45 which includes a shifting fork 46 capable of shifting one half 41 of the cooperative drive mechanism pulley 48.

The pulley 48 is mounted on a shaft 49 disposed parallel to the shaft I5 and spaced therefrom. The shaft I5 in this drive mechanism must be considered the driving shaft and the shaft 49 is to be considered the driven shaft. The other pulley half 59 is relatively fixed longitudinally of the shaft 4.9 in the same manner as the pulley half 22 of the pulley I4. The driven shaft 49 passes into the supporting housing I9 and is adapted to impart rotational drive to the various threshing mechanisms by means of bevel gears 5i and 52.

The pulley half 58 is fastened to the shaft 49 by means of a key 53. The pulley half 56 is also provided with an internal collar 54 comparable to the collar 21 of the pulley I4. This collar 54 is riveted as shown at 55 to the pulley half 50. A sleeve member 56 is slidably mounted over the shaft 49 and is welded as shown at 51 to the collar 54. The outer surface of the sleeve 56 is equipped with spline teeth 58 comparable in every respect to the spline teeth 26 of the sleeve 25. A V-belt 59 joins the V-belt pulleys I4 and 48 and imparts drive from the shaft I5 to the shaft 49. Both halves 41 and 50 of the pulley 58 are thus rotatably driven. The pulley half 41 is equipped with an internal annular sleeve 69 having internal annular spline teeth SI for cooperative engagement with the external spline teeth 53. The sleeve 68 has an outwardly extending annular flange 62 fastened by means of rivets or the like 63 to the pulley half 41. A longitudinally extending annular flange 64 is disposed around and spaced from the sleeve 68. A ball bearing 65 has its outer race member 66 press fitted within the flange 54, and the inner race 6? of the ball bearing 65 constitutes the surface against which the fork 46 actuates. A structural bracket member 68 is fastened to the main support It by means of bolts or the like 69. This bracket support 68 provides a pivotal mounting at I9 for the bell-crank lever 45 which includes the shifting fork 46. The pivotal mounting I9 is on an arm H depending from the bracket 68 by means of a bolt member I2.

From the foregoing description of the construction of the drive mechanism of this invention it will be apparent that as the interconnecting link 42 is moved the pulley halves 23 and 4'! will be simultaneously moved an equal distance insuring that the V-belt 59 remain taut in the respective pulleys I4 and 48. Such shifting of the interconnecting link 42 automatically causes a change in the speed transmission from the shaft I5 to the shaft 49. In the present application of the device, as stated in the objects above, it is desirable to take an intermittent input drive and deliver a constant uniform speed output drive. This is accomplished by having a means operable in response to the output drive adapted to directly shift the interconnecting link 42 to accomplish a change in driving transmission from the pulley I4 to the pulley 48 to automatically compensate for variations in input driving speed.

A bevel gear '12 is fastened to the output or driven shaft 49 just prior to the entrance of the shaft into the housing support II) of the thresher. A cooperative bevel gear I4 is disposed at right angles to the gear I3 and is rotatably driven thereby. The bevel gear I4 is mounted on a shaft l5 which is journally carried in a pillowblock type of bearing 78 mounted on the support III by means of bolts or the like 11. A box-like housing I8 is mounted on and fastened to the supporting structure I9. A sleeve bearing I9 is mounted in one wall 89 of the housing I8 and is in alignment with the pillow block bearing I6 for journally receiving the shaft I5. A sleeve BI is disposed intermediate the bearings I6 and I9 to facilitate the fixed spacing between these elements. The housing (8 encloses a ball-type governor 82. A rod 83 is spaced from the end of the shaft I5 and is disposed in axial alignment therewith. The rod 83 is slidably mounted in a sleeve bearing 84 which is carried by a wall 85 of the governor housing 18 and disposed opposite the wall 88 carrying the sleeve bearing I9.

An ear or lug member 88 forms a part of the shifting fork or bell-crank lever 31 and is adapted to pivotally receive the outer end of the rod 83 at 81. Spaced annular flanges 88 and 89 are provided on the inner end of the shaft 83 adjacent the governor 82 and define an annular groove 98. The governor 82 is provided with a pair of toggle links 9i and 92 pivotally attached at 93 to the shaft I5. A complementary pair of toggle links 94 and 95 are pivotally joined at 9'! and 91 to a ring member 96 encircling the shaft 83 in the annular groove 99. The outer ends of the pairs of toggle links are joined at 98 and 99 and have weight members I89 and NH fastened to these pivotal attachments 98 and 99 respectively. A spring member I92 is fastened to the pivotal attachments 98 and 99 and normally urges an inward movement of the weight members I80 and NH. An increase in speed of rotation of the shaft I5 causes the weight members I09 and NH to be thrown centrifugally outwardly against the action of the spring I82 and simultaneously pulling the shaft 83 inwardly toward the center of the housing I8 and thereupon causing the shifting fork 31 to be moved longitudinally of the shaft I5 away from its engagement with the inner race 36 of the ball bearing member 34, thus permitting the pulley half 23 to move away from the fixed pulley half 22 and causing the belt 59 to ride at a lower position within the pulley I 4. Simultaneously, the interconnecting link 42 causes the shifting fork 45 to move the pulley half 4'! closer to the pulley half 59 with the result that the V- belt 59 rides higher in the pulley 48. The overall result of the increased output speed of the shaft 49 causes a change in driving ratio between the V-belt pulleys l4 and 48 and immediately slows the speed of the shaft 49. The action of the governor 82 is so quick to act that the shaft 49 continues to rotate at a substantially constant and uniform speed. Conversely, when the shaft 49 tends to slow down, the centrifugal action of the weights I08 and I9I is insufficient to maintain the spring I92 extended and the weights are in fact pulled in by the action of the spring I92 causing an extension of the shaft 83 and a simultaneous movement of the shifting fork 3? to close the space between the pulley halves 23 and 22 and similarly and simultaneously to open the spacing between the pulley halves i1 and Ed.

The assembly on the shaft l 5 is maintained in fixed position thereon by means of a nut 5&3 engaging a reduced diameter and threaded extension I M of the shaft 15. A washer member $5 is positioned intermediate the hub tilt of the pulley half 22 and the nut Hi3 and is of sufilcient diameter to maintain the pulley half 22 against endwise movement on the shaft iii. A similar construction is shown on the driven shaft is wherein a nut I 0'! engages a reduced and threaded extension I 98 of the shaft l3 and abuts a washer Hi9 maintaining the sleeve member against endwise shifting.

In operation, the pulling tractor delivers rotative power to the knuckle l2 of a universal joint ll. Very often there is considerable angularity between the knuckles i2 and i3 and thus there normally exists a surging drive between the knuckles. Drive is thereupon delivered to the shaft [5 and to the pulley l i whereupon the V-belt 59 delivers that incoming drive to the pulley 48. The shaft ,9 on which the pulley is mounted imparts this rotative drive to tie threshing elements of the combine. As the driven shaft 49 varies in speed occasioned by variations in the input speed to the shaft IS, the gov- 2'- ernor 82 acts to compensate for this variable input speed and directly acts to shift the pulley halves 23 and 4'! of the respective pulleys is and 48 to thereupon change the driving ratio between the pulleys Id and t8 and thus maintain a (2011- stant output drive to the shaft ie. The driving mechanism of this invention thus minimizes the variations in input speed of drive and automatically produces a constant speed output shaft which is very conducive to efficient threshing of grain.

Numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein, and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A variable speed pulley and V-belt transmission comprising a supporting structure, a driving shaft journaled on said supporting structure, a driven shaft parallel to and journaled on said d supporting structure, a first adjustable \i-pulley mounted on said driving shaft, a second adjustable V-pulley mounted on said driven shaft and inalignment with said first adjustable V-pulley, said first adjustable V-pulley having a half thereof fixed to said drive shaft and the other half thereof slidable on said drive shaft toward and away from said fixed half, said second adjustable V-pulley having a half thereof fixed to said driven shaft in alignment with the slidable half of the first adjustable V-pulley and the other half there of slidable on said driven shaft in alignment with the fixed half of the first adjustable v-puiley, a first fork means pivotally mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the slidabie half of the first adjustable V-pulley, a second fork means pivotally mounted on said supporting structure adjacent the slidable half of the second adjustable V-pulley, a V-belt joining said first and second adjustable V-pulleys, tie rod means joining the first and second fork means, centrifugal means, means rotatably driving said centrifugal means from said driven shaft, said centrifugal means including a plurality of weights, springs normally holding said weights radially inwardly, a longitudinally slidable link, means transmitting slidable movement to said slidable link in response to the radial extension of said weights, and pivotal means joining said slidable link to said tie rod means, whereby the speed of the driven shaft acts to directly extend or withdraw said link an amount proportional to the speed of the driven shaft and thus automatically compensate for variations in driving speed in maintaining a substantially constant driven speed.

LEE P, MILLARD.

The following references are of record in the die f this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Plumber Name Date 350,653 G-uttinger Sept. 28, 1836 2,158,367 Henney May 16, 1939 2,336,002 Everett Dec. 7, 1943 2,533,197 Pinkvoss Dec. 5, 195G FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 333,120 Italy Dec. 19, 1935 548,600 France Jan. 18, 1923 

